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You know the countdown to Easter has begun when packets of hot cross buns start to fill the supermarket shelves.
Once there was a simple choice between an economy or a more expensive bun. But now there is a bewildering choice of different flavours and sizes.
So which is the best to buy? Our tasting team split the class of 2025 into two groups. Classic hot cross buns, stuffed with fruit and spice, and flavoured hot cross buns, which can include everything from marmalade, caramel and even cheese.
So before you load your trolley for Easter check out our findings to see which are the best and worst hot cross buns to buy this year.
Our panel of testers first tasted each bun straight from the packet without any butter. Each one was then toasted, spread with some lightly salted butter and then tasted again.
Some of our team already had favourite brands and in terms of eating, one preferred hers straight from the packet and the rest preferred theirs toasted.
It was a closely fought contest and there wasn't a lot between our first and second placed buns. However in the end it was the Waitrose Richly Fruited Hot Cross Bun which clinched top prize, with the Sainsburys Taste the Difference Fruity Hot Cross buns coming a close second.
Our favourite budget brand was Amazon, which combined value for money with loads of fruit and our favourite flavoured variety, after serious misgivings, turned out to be the M&S Extremely Cheesy Hot Cross Buns. Grilled or air fried and filled with bacon, egg or your breakfast choice, could be your perfect start to an Easter weekend.
And the ones to avoid... if we're being honest here, the flavoured ones had the lowest rankings, but right at the bottom of the pile, barely scraping half a mark were the M&S Extremely Chocolatey Hot Cross Buns. The buns tasted like stale chocolate cake and weren't improved by toasting and covering with butter (something that normally works on most foods).
Best in test
RRP: £1.95 (Waitrose)
These were excellent buns. Tasted straight from the pack they lived up to their promise of being richly fruited, with an even distribution, and a good balance of spice.
Toasted you lose some of the spice, but with loads of fruit, a bit of crunch and the melting butter, they were even better.
These were exactly what you hope hot cross buns will be.
Second place
RRP: £1.80
Another excellent bun. These were full of fruit and the spice came through. Eaten straight from the pack these buns were slightly chewy in a good way.
Toasted they also lost a bit of spice, but the consistency was right and the fruit remained moist. A good all-round bun.
Third in test
RRP: £1.39
These had a far denser in consistency straight from the packet. One of our testers said they could smell bergamot and it was true. A more citrusy smell than the first two. These buns were sweet, spicy and chewy.
Our testers felt they were better eaten toasted and due to their dense consistency they took longer to cook than many other buns.
RRP: £1.35
These had a good amount of fruit and spice, but were knocked into fourth place by arch rival Lidl.
Another dense bake, but with less spice and a raw taste straight from the packet. These were better toasted but did lose some flavour.
Best budget brand
RRP: £1.35
With six in a pack these buns worked out at great value from retailer Amazon. The fruit wasn't as well distributed as some of their more expensive rivals, but they still had a decent amount in each bun and a taste of spice that remained after toasting.
Texture wise they were good too, not too dry, and delicious toasted with butter. A great budget bun which didn't taste at all cheap.
RRP: £1.80
These were very fruity as promised, but the distribution of the fruit wasn't at all even. They also had a bitter taste which all our tasters commented on.
Toasted they were better, but they remained bland.
"These have a better smell than taste," one of our team commented.
RRP: £2
Disappointing buns. Our team had high hopes for the M&S offering and they did appear to have lots of fruit. But on tasting there was very little spice or taste.
Toasting didn't make them any better. There wasn't anything offensive about them they were just very bland.
RRP: £1.80
These had six in the pack which made them better value than others, but although they weren't dry they lacked any flavour.
They were better toasted, but not by much.
RRP: £1
Baked that day at the in-store bakery our team thought these had the potential to be great. But they were a real disappointment.
The buns contained hard bits of mixed peel, they were quite bitter and lacked taste. Toasting didn't make a big difference and they were dry and bland. A real shame.
RRP: £1.20
Waitrose was first and last in this classic category. These buns are a world away from their winning stable mates. These were really mean buns with very little fruit and no smell.
One of our testers commented that these were more like bread with a bit of fruit and weren't bun-like at all.
They were marginally better toasted, but remained very bland.
Vegan: M&S Bramley Apple Hot Cross Buns
Gluten free: Sainsbury's Free From Fruity Hot Cross Buns
RRP: £2
Raw these left our testers unimpressed but the cooking instructions recommended either grilling or cooking these in the air fryer and then filling with bacon, sausage or egg. That fired the imagination of all our tasters.
Even just grilled and covered with butter transformed these buns into something really quite tasty.
They aren't hot cross buns, not really. But if you fancy something different for your Easter breakfast then these are definitely worth a go.
RRP: £1.80
"These are like those long life 'pan au chocolats' you get individually wrapped at supermarkets or cheap French hotels," one of our testers said.
And it was true. They were like a brioche-type continental bun but with cheap chocolate. These were better eaten straight from the packet, rather than toasting them which made them bland.
But if you have a very sweet tooth and feel you can't get enough chocolate this Easter from eggs alone, then these may be for you.
RRP: £1.80
Another bun our team had high hopes for. They sounded delicious but turned out to be stodgy and very sweet straight from the packet.
They also had a bitter aftertaste which our testers didn't like. Toasted they were better and it seemed to bring out a bit more flavour in them.
RRP: £1.80
"These are really bouncy," one of our testers said, looking confused.
And it was true. They were really too aerated and more like a dry bread than a bun. They tasted of apple and sugar but no one could detect any cinammon.
Toasting didn't help, it made them drier and more bland. A shame as the description sounded nice.
RRP: £1.80
These sounded like they might work as a combination and on opening the packet the buns smelled of marmalade.
However they were really disappointing. The buns were claggy, with a bitter after taste and very little fruit.
Toasting and covering them with butter helped a little, but they remained bland.
RRP: £1.95
Another packet of buns that dashed the hopes of our team. On opening them up, testers could smell lemon, but on eating the lemon tasted synthetic.
There wasn't a lot of taste to these and the white chocolate didn't add any flavour.
Toasting didn't help either, there was still a hint of lemon, but our testers felt they remained tasteless.
RRP: £2
Oh dear. These buns barely scraped a rating.
"These taste like a cheap, dry chocolate cake," one of testers announced and the others agreed.
Toasting didn't improve them either.
"Don't put butter on them, as it's an insult to the butter," was the quip. And unfortunately it rang all too true.
A big thanks to Goytre Hall for hosting our tasting session.
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